US20050062493A1 - Method and apparatus for electrical commoning of circuits - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for electrical commoning of circuits Download PDFInfo
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- US20050062493A1 US20050062493A1 US10/710,145 US71014504A US2005062493A1 US 20050062493 A1 US20050062493 A1 US 20050062493A1 US 71014504 A US71014504 A US 71014504A US 2005062493 A1 US2005062493 A1 US 2005062493A1
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Images
Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/28—Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer
- G01R31/2801—Testing of printed circuits, backplanes, motherboards, hybrid circuits or carriers for multichip packages [MCP]
- G01R31/2805—Bare printed circuit boards
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R1/00—Details of instruments or arrangements of the types included in groups G01R5/00 - G01R13/00 and G01R31/00
- G01R1/02—General constructional details
- G01R1/06—Measuring leads; Measuring probes
- G01R1/067—Measuring probes
- G01R1/06711—Probe needles; Cantilever beams; "Bump" contacts; Replaceable probe pins
Definitions
- This invention relates to electrical testing of electronic circuits and in particular improved methods and apparatus for testing electronic circuits such as those existing in chip carriers, printed circuit boards, substrates and other microcircuit devices.
- Flaws resulting in manufacturing processes of microcircuit devices can create undesired electrical conditions in electrical circuits contained within such devices resulting in flawed or inoperable electrical circuits wherein the flawed circuits do not function as originally intended and designed.
- Typical substrates for example, chip carriers, printed circuit boards, electronic substrates, or similar devices, comprise electronic circuits and the substrates physically and spatially support the electronic circuits.
- a substrate comprises non-conductive material so that it does not interfere with the normal operation of the electrical circuits supported thereon. These arrangements are well known in the art.
- the substrate typically includes electronic circuits and a first group of pads located on one surface of the substrate, with the pads electrically connected to one or more of the electronic circuits. The pads are used to connect the electronic circuits to a first electronic device, for example, an electronic chip.
- a second group of pads located on another surface of the substrate are electrically connected to the electronic circuits and intended to connect the electronic circuits to a second electronic device, for example, a printed circuit board.
- the electronic circuits form a plurality of predetermined conductive pathways between the first and second groups of pads on the substrate.
- a known approach used for testing and detecting undesired electrical conditions such as open circuits, where contact pads are relatively closely spaced is referred to as electrical-commoning.
- electrical-commoning all the contact pads of one group of pads which represent all the first extremities of the electronic circuits of the substrate are electrically shorted.
- the electronic circuits are all thus effectively shorted and connected together.
- Test probe devices are contacted to the second group of pads which represent the other extremities of the electronic circuits and which pads are typically spaced further apart from each other than those pads at the first extremities of the circuits.
- the test probes are connected to a test mechanism for testing the electronic circuits for adverse electrical conditions and verify whether the electronic circuits exhibit any adverse electrical conditions.
- Electrical continuity-testing of electrical circuits may be carried out with the use of, for example: an ohm meter, a voltmeter, an ammeter, or equivalent, in order to verify the electrical integrity of electronic circuits by detecting undesired electrical conditions in the circuitry, as is well known in the industry.
- the present invention provides a method and apparatus for electrically commoning the electronic circuits supported by a substrate, and to effectively and cost efficiently in a timely manner to determine the existence of undesired electrical conditions associated with the electronic circuits to thereby reduce costs associated with manufacturing waste and customer complaints. Flaws in manufacturing processes which may have caused an occurrence of undesired electrical conditions in the electrical circuits thereby creating flawed electrical circuits not being able to function as expected or desired can be effectively detected at an appropriate early stage of the assembling process.
- the present invention provides a method and apparatus for testing the continuity of electronic circuits and to accommodate requirements to make even smaller electronic devices in attempts to physically decrease the size of substrates thereby increasing the density of the electronic circuits and subsequently placing the pads much closer together compared to electronic circuits used in less dense circuits.
- an apparatus for use with a substrate supporting a plurality of contact pads for electrically commoning the contact pads comprises a container for confining a quantity of electrically conductive particles and having said substrate positioned within said container having a first group of a plurality of contact pads on a first surface thereof in contact with said particles. At least some of said electrically conductive particles contact other of said particles and said contact pads of said first group of contact pads on said surface of said substrate and means to maintain said particles in contact with the surface of said substrate and said contact pads whereby said contact pads are electrically commoned.
- a method for electrically commoning contact pads located on a first surface of a substrate wherein each pad is connected to a circuit supported by said substrate comprises the steps of providing a container for confining electrically conductive particles and providing a supply of electrically conductive particles in said container.
- a substrate having a first group of a plurality of contact pads on one surface thereof is placed and held in said container such that the pads contact said particles and the particles are maintained in contact with other of said particles and said pads whereby said pads are electrically commoned.
- FIG. 1 shows a cross section drawing of a testing apparatus embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 shows the drawing of FIG. 1 incorporating a substrate having recessed pads.
- FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional drawing of another embodiment of the testing apparatus accommodating a substrate positioned on flexible walls of a container.
- electrically commoning of contact pads or electronic circuits has the same meaning as electrically shorting of pads or circuits, as is well known in the art.
- the disclosed invention incorporates the use of small electrically conductive particles, preferably but not limited to spheres, placed in a receptacle so as to somewhat limit the horizontal spreading of the particles.
- a suitable quantity of the particles for the container or receptacle can be determined to ensure that the surface of a substrate containing a group of electrical contacts or pads to be shorted will always come into contact with a minimum concentration of particles.
- the walls of the receptacle are made from suitable material that may be flexible, resilient or compliant, such as compressible rubber, with dimensions designed to ensure adequate compaction of the particles within the receptacle to allow the group of electrical contacts or pads to meet and be in physical and electrical contact with the contained particles. As such the particles simultaneously contact both themselves and the group of electrical contacts which are connected to the electrical circuits supported by the substrate to be tested.
- the conductive particles are of dimensions which are sufficiently smaller than the dimensions of the contact pads such that numerous particles can individually and simultaneously contact each contact pad, but large enough to avoid the risk of adhering or becoming attached to the contact pads or substrate surface.
- the exterior of the particles comprise electrically conductive and non-oxidizing material such as but not limited to gold or platinum.
- One means to effect such a coating on the particles is by the use of a suitable electrolyses plating bath.
- the exterior surface of each conductive particle is sufficiently rigid to prevent excessive deformation or agglomeration of the particles, thus maintaining the original ability of the particles to be moveable and to contact themselves and the pads.
- the core material of the metal particles is magnetic in nature such that the particles can be moved by the use of an external alternating magnetic field.
- the core of each particle may be made of magnetic or non-magnetic material.
- the substrate surface may be subjected to a cleaning operation by blowing inert gas across the surface of the substrate to remove any residually adhering conductive particles.
- a portion of a surface of a contact pad is covered by a non-conductive material as by contamination or by design, the remaining conductive portion of the contact pad will still be contacted by some of the particles to ensure meaningful test results.
- particles of such small size the physical requirements and constraints resulting from greater density of contact pads on a surface of a substrate and decreasing contact pad pitch/size will be accommodated for the testing of the connected circuitry.
- This adaptability of the particle bed allows for effective contacting of contact pads which may be located somewhat lower than the overall substrate surface. This is the case, for example, with printed circuit boards which may contain a non-conductive solder mask of approximately 20-30 microns thickness on their surfaces with openings, typically approximately 150 microns in diameter, in the solder mask to reveal the contact pads below the surface thereof.
- the contact pads are therefore effectively 20-30 microns below the surface.
- the particles being significantly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the openings in the mask and being in the form of a compliant bed of particles, will effectively enter the openings and make electrical contact with the pads.
- the quasi-fluid nature of the particle bed in the container is not adversely affected by or susceptible to physical damage from any irregular shapes or protrusions from a hard ceramic substrate with contact pads.
- the particle bed can be re-used almost indefinitely to perform the testing operation.
- the rigid nature of the core component of the electrically conductive particles prevents deformation and/or agglomeration of the particles within the container and maintains the ability of the particles to contact each other and the pads.
- the compliant nature of the particle bed is maintained and the nature of the particles reduces potential contamination of the contact pads by the particles.
- the non-oxidizing nature of the exterior surface of these particles ensures consistent contact between adjacent particles and between the particles and contact pads.
- a varying magnetic field may be used to maintain the particles in constant motion during electrical contact with the pads and the subsequent performance of the electrical test. This results in effective electrical contact of particles with the pads through constant homogenization of the “particle fluid bed” while minimizing the extent to which the particles adhere to themselves and to the contact pads or to the substrate itself. Ultrasonic means to place the particles in appropriately constant motion may achieve similar advantages and allowing for the particles to be made from a variety of materials.
- This embodiment comprises container or receptacle 10 for confining conductive particles 9 and causing particles 9 to physically touch other particles thereby electrically shorting physically touching particles 9 .
- Container 10 and other aspects of this embodiment maintains some shorted particles 9 in physical contact with pads 6 of a first group of pads 6 located on a first surface 7 of substrate 3 when a contacting force generally shown by arrow 11 is applied on substrate 3 and forceing pads 6 to physically touch some of the shorted particles 9 .
- Contacting force 11 may be created and applied by any appropriate means as would be known to those having ordinary skill. Since a sufficient quantity of particles 9 exist in container 10 , pads 6 of the first group of pads on the first surface 7 of substrate 3 are thereby substantially electrically commoned or shorted together.
- Substrate 3 further comprises circuits 4 , such as conductive vias within substrate 3 , which are connected to pads 6 of the first group of pads 6 . Since electronic circuits 4 are connect to pads 6 , circuits 4 are also electrically shorted or commoned by particles 9 .
- Substrate 3 further comprises a second group of pads 8 located on another surface of the substrate other than surface 7 of substrate 3 as shown. Pads 8 are electrically connected to the aforementioned electronic circuits 4 as shown. Substrate 3 physically separates the second group of pads 8 from the pads of the first group of pads 6 and further prevents the second group of pads 8 from physically touching particles 9 .
- Embodiment of FIG. 1 further comprises test device 2 and includes one or more test probes 5 shown electrically connected thereto and contacted to pads of the second group of pads 8 .
- test probe 5 is connected to each pad 8 .
- Test device 2 is also electrically connected to conductive contacting particles 9 contained within container 10 .
- Test device 2 is thus capable of detecting the electrical conditions of the electronic circuits 4 connected to test probes 5 and in particular any flaw or undesirable electrical condition existing in each circuit.
- test probe 5 would be moved from one contact pad 8 to another contact pad 8 and electrical contact would be made in turn to each of the contact pads 8 in the second group of contact pads to thereby in turn assess the electrical condition of each of the circuits 4 connected to pads 8 and thereby detect any undesirable electrical opens existing in circuits 4 .
- particles 9 are electrically conductive thereby achieving the desired shorting or commoning relationship when they are in contact with each other and with pads 6 when located within container 10 .
- particles 9 are essentially spherical in shape and have an exterior surface thereon of a non-oxidizing material to prevent formation of electrically insulating oxide on the surface of the particles, thereby ensuring that particles 9 are electrically contacted to each other and to pads 6 when assembled within container 10 .
- Particles 9 may consist of a core and have an exterior surface coating formed, for example, by the use of an electroless plating bath. The inert coating on particles 9 prevent particles 9 from imparting any contamination to the pads of the first group of pads 6 and surface 7 of substrate 3 .
- the core material could be any electrically conductive material, for example, ferro magnetic materials such as iron, nickel or cobalt.
- the core of particles 9 could also consist of suitable non-conductive material including plastic, with an exterior coating of electrically conductive material including gold or platinum. Particles 9 could also be made of all one material such as gold.
- a substrate of 1.5 inches square having a chip size of 0.5 inches square include contact pads of 0.005 inches in diameter and a pitch or spacing between pads of 150-250 microns. Particles in the range of 25-30 microns have been found to be practical.
- Particles 9 are sufficiently rigid to prevent excessive agglomeration of the particles thereby allowing particle 9 to be freely moved within container 10 and to contact pads 6 .
- the characteristics of particles 9 prevent them from becoming substantially gathered into a heap or localized when a contacting force 11 is applied to substrate 3 and thus particles 9 .
- particles 9 form a quasi-fluid bed and this bed of particles is suitably compliant, flexible or resilient to ensure an extended usable life of the bed of particles by preventing individual particles 9 from being subjected to physical damage.
- Particles 9 in the bed of particles as described are capable of being reversibly deformed, wherein a deformation of the particle bed allows the bed of particles to resume its original shape thereby preventing the bed of particles from becoming permanently misshapen after the contacting force is removed.
- the contacting force may temporarily deform the bed of particles, and after the contacting force is removed, the bed of particles resumes its original shape.
- the size of particles 9 is selected to ensure accommodation of sufficient particles for the surface area of each pad 6 .
- the particles are sufficiently large so as not to become wedged in the space between pads 6 during the testing procedure and small enough so that more than one particle contacts the surface of a pad 6 .
- the size and number of particles 9 in a particular application are sufficient to make electrical contact with pads 9 even when a portion of pad surface may be covered by a non-conductive material.
- a predetermined number of particles can be determined to suitably cover the surface area of pads 6 .
- the diameter of a spherically shaped particles 9 is about 1 ⁇ 3 the diameter of the surface of pad 6 .
- the quantity of particles 9 to exist in container 10 for useful results varies on a number of factors including size of surface 7 of substrate 3 and configuration of pads 6 . It has been found in general that the thickness of the bed of particles 9 should be at least as thick as the height of pads 6 above surface 7 .
- Container 10 has side walls to contain and limit the horizontal spreading of particles 9 and to maintain particles in a predetermined volume of space.
- the walls of container 10 are preferably resilient, flexible and compliant to enhance the desire of having some particles 9 which are contacting each other when an appropriate force 11 is applied to touch pads 6 of substrate 3 .
- the walls of container 10 are preferably made of suitable flexible material and are of dimensions so as to ensure an adequate compression of particles 9 when substrate 3 and pads 6 thereon is placed in container 10 such that pads 6 contact some of particles 9 .
- Contacting force 11 is applied to substrate 3 to cause susbtrate 3 with pads 6 on surface 7 thereof to physically contact the particles 9 .
- the contacting force 11 is sufficiently strong to maintain pads 6 in stable contact with at least some of particles 9 whereby particles 9 make conforming contact with pads 6 during application of force 11 .
- Force 11 is maintained on substrate 3 to cause pads 6 to contact particles 9 for a sufficient time in order to have the test performed.
- the combination of applied force 11 and the force resulting from the flexibility of the walls of receptacle 10 is such as to ensure damage is not imparted to substrate 3 or contacts 6 by the bed of particles 9 .
- Substrate 3 may be connected to other electronic components while the circuitry 4 supported by substrate 3 is being tested. As had been described, the first and second groups of pads on substrate 3 as shown by references 6 and 8 respectively, may be electrically connected to an electronic chip or a printed circuit board, for example.
- Tester or test device 2 is used to detect undesired electrical conditions such as electrical opens existing in the electronic circuits 4 .
- Test probes 5 are caused to sequentially make electrical contact with pads 8 of substrate 6 during the testing of electronic circuits 4 .
- Test device 2 could comprise any one or more of an ohm meter, a volt-meter, and an ammeter.
- FIG. 1 Another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is a motion-inducing mechanism or means (not illustrated in FIG. 1 ) for causing particles 6 to move toward and touch or make contact with any available surface of pads 6 of substrate 3 thereby ensuring particles 6 to be in touch with the surface of pads 6 .
- a motion-inducing mechanism or means for causing particles 6 to move toward and touch or make contact with any available surface of pads 6 of substrate 3 thereby ensuring particles 6 to be in touch with the surface of pads 6 .
- Such mechanism is not shown in FIG. 1 .
- the suitable motion-inducing means could be one of the following mechanisms or a combination of any two or more of the mechanisms namely, a shaking-motion mechanism, a magnetic-field mechanism, or an ultrasonic mechanism.
- Such mechanisms for inducing motion to the particles are considered to be well known to those of ordinary skill.
- the magnetic-field mechanism to be effective, particles 9 of magnetic material would have to be employed.
- a shaking-motion mechanism induces a shaking and vibrating motion to particles 9 thereby causing particles 9 to move toward and make more effective electrical contact amongst themselves and with pads 6 of substrate 3 .
- An ultrasonic mechanism may be coupled to container 10 for causing particles 9 in a similar manner to shake and vibrate resulting in more effective electrical contact between particles 9 and pads 6 on substrate 3 .
- a magnetic-field mechanism may be coupled to container 10 in which magnetic particles 9 exist.
- the magnetic-field mechanism imparts changing lines of magnetism to particles 9 which magnetically interact with particles 9 whereby particles 9 become churned so that freely available particles 9 make contact with any remaining available spaces on the surfaces of pads 6 . This enhances the contact of particles 9 with pads 6 and thereby reducing the time to carry out the electrical tests on circuitry 4 of substrate 3 .
- the magnetic-field mechanism may further entail a degaussing mechanism to remove residual magnetism from the particles thereby preventing the particles from adhering to pads 6 and to substrate 3 .
- the mechanisms to provide for the shaking-motion, ultrasonic and magnetic field activity may be used individually or in any combination in order to enhance the contact of particles 9 with pads 6 on the surface of substrate 9 .
- FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates use of the apparatus embodiment of FIG. 1 with a substrate 3 in which pads 6 are effectively recessed below the surface of substrate 3 .
- portions 12 of the surface of substrate 3 upon which contact pads 6 are located may be covered by a non-conductive solder mask.
- Mask 12 has openings for providing access to pads 6 which are thus effectively recessed below the surface of the substrate 3 .
- Particles 9 have a smaller size compared to the size of the opening in mask 12 and thus particles 9 are capable of entering the openings in mask 12 in order to make electrical contact with pads 6 .
- Circuits 4 of substrate 3 are tested in a similar manner with the test apparatus and probes as shown and described with reference to FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative arrangement of the testing apparatus 1 of FIGS. 1 and 2 .
- container 10 for retaining particles 9 is designed so that substrate 3 is positioned on the walls of container 10 .
- container 10 is made of appropriately resilient or compliant material so that the walls of container 10 change shape somewhat when substrate 3 is forced downward by applied force 11 for pads 6 to contact particles 9 . It has been found that the resulting force of the resilient walls of container 10 enhances particles 9 contacting pads 6 along with the applied force 11 .
- This arrangement assists in obtaining test results from the use of test device 2 and the associated probes.
- each of pads 8 have a test probe 5 connected thereto during the testing process of circuits 4 .
- FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are provided for purposes of illustrating aspects of the subject invention. These drawings should not be considered as being to scale nor are intended in any manner to limit the nature, number, configurations or sizes of the various components or elements shown.
- a suitable container or receptacle 10 is provided for confining electrically conductive particles 9 .
- a suitable supply of particles 9 is added to container 10 .
- Substrate 3 having pads 6 on a surface thereof is placed into container 10 , or alternatively on container 10 , such that pads 6 make contact with particles 9 .
- Substrate 3 is held within container 10 and a force may be applied thereto in order to ensure that the particles adequately contact each other and the pads whereby pads 6 become electrically shorted.
- Substrate 3 has a second group of pads 8 on a surface of substrate 3 different from the surface where pads 6 are located.
- Pads 6 and 8 are interconnected by circuitry 4 existing within or supported by substrate 3 .
- pads 8 are electrically contacted with a test device 2 while substrate 3 is located within container 10 and pads 6 are shorted by particles 9 and test device 2 is electrically connected to particles 9 .
- Pads 8 are contacted by the test device in order to test each circuit 4 . It is preferable to remove any contamination on pads 6 and 8 prior to placing substrate 3 within container 10 and contacting by test device 2 .
- shaking or vibration motion may be induced into particles 9 as a result of the use of shaking motion, ultrasonic or magnetic mechanism attached to container 10 .
Abstract
Description
- This invention relates to electrical testing of electronic circuits and in particular improved methods and apparatus for testing electronic circuits such as those existing in chip carriers, printed circuit boards, substrates and other microcircuit devices.
- Flaws resulting in manufacturing processes of microcircuit devices can create undesired electrical conditions in electrical circuits contained within such devices resulting in flawed or inoperable electrical circuits wherein the flawed circuits do not function as originally intended and designed. In order to verify the electrical integrity of electronic circuits such as those present in chip carriers, printed circuit boards, electronic substrates or other microcircuit devices, during manufacture of such devices such circuits are typically submitted to electrical testing in an effort to detect unintended design flaws such as conditions of electrical shorts or opens in the circuits.
- There is a significant ongoing design and manufacturing effort within the electronics industry to create physically smaller and more compact electronic components and substrates. When attempting to make smaller substrates, the density of the electronic circuits on the substrates increases and it is a requirement that the pads on the substrates be placed much closer together compared to substrates using less dense electronic circuits. With increases in electronic circuitry density the contact pads, which represent extremities of the circuits are spaced ever-closer together, especially in the region of the substrate where relatively smaller chips or components are to be subsequently connected. This causes difficulties in effecting contact of the desired individual circuit contact pads on the surface of the substrate for purposes of detecting undesired electrical conditions in the individual circuits.
- Typical substrates, for example, chip carriers, printed circuit boards, electronic substrates, or similar devices, comprise electronic circuits and the substrates physically and spatially support the electronic circuits. A substrate comprises non-conductive material so that it does not interfere with the normal operation of the electrical circuits supported thereon. These arrangements are well known in the art. The substrate typically includes electronic circuits and a first group of pads located on one surface of the substrate, with the pads electrically connected to one or more of the electronic circuits. The pads are used to connect the electronic circuits to a first electronic device, for example, an electronic chip. A second group of pads located on another surface of the substrate, are electrically connected to the electronic circuits and intended to connect the electronic circuits to a second electronic device, for example, a printed circuit board. The electronic circuits form a plurality of predetermined conductive pathways between the first and second groups of pads on the substrate.
- A known approach used for testing and detecting undesired electrical conditions such as open circuits, where contact pads are relatively closely spaced is referred to as electrical-commoning. With this approach, all the contact pads of one group of pads which represent all the first extremities of the electronic circuits of the substrate are electrically shorted. The electronic circuits are all thus effectively shorted and connected together. Test probe devices are contacted to the second group of pads which represent the other extremities of the electronic circuits and which pads are typically spaced further apart from each other than those pads at the first extremities of the circuits. The test probes are connected to a test mechanism for testing the electronic circuits for adverse electrical conditions and verify whether the electronic circuits exhibit any adverse electrical conditions. Electrical continuity-testing of electrical circuits may be carried out with the use of, for example: an ohm meter, a voltmeter, an ammeter, or equivalent, in order to verify the electrical integrity of electronic circuits by detecting undesired electrical conditions in the circuitry, as is well known in the industry.
- Problems exist resulting from the use of known electrical-commoning methods and apparatus for detecting undesired electrical condition of electronic circuits on substrates which could produce “false open” results. These problems include:
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- the electrical-commoning mechanism does not making suitable contact with the contact pads;
- the pads are contaminated, for example, by a non-conductive substance on the pads which substantially prevents electrical contact being made between the pads and the electrical-commoning mechanism;
- one or more pads may be deformed, thus creating a condition where the pad does not make contact with the electrical-commoning mechanism;
- the electrical-commoning means is not sufficiently locally compliant with the pads resulting in ineffective electrical contact;
- the electrical-commoning mechanism does not have a capability to overcome aspects of “self-damage” that may be reflected in the contacts so that a reliable commoning of the contact pads can be effected, for example, the self-damage being caused by contaminants, or the pads having surface inconsistencies, or the electrical-commoning mechanism having surface inconsistencies; and
- the electrical-commoning means may deposit an unwanted residual electrically non-conductive material on the surface of the pads and the substrate, such that it may be difficult to remove the residual material from the pads and the substrate after testing is performed.
- Known prior art attempts to solve the above and other problems associated with electrical-commoning approaches presently used include the use of a flexible sheet, for example, a conductive polymeric sheet or metallized polymeric sheet as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,311 issued Apr. 27, 1999, entitled Shorting Pad Having A Flexible Conductive Sheet and U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,316 issued May 4, 1999, entitled Flexible Conductive Sheet, both of which are assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. However, difficulties may arise with the use of such polymeric sheets in that:
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- the sheet may leave a residual contamination on the surface of the pads and substrate during the test which may be difficult to remove;
- the sheet has a capability of being susceptible to physical damage when contacting the pads;
- the sheet requires relatively large contact forces to ensure that the polymeric sheet makes sufficient contact with all of the pads and the large forces may result in damage to the substrate and any test fixture; and
- the sheet may be insufficient to completely prevent “false opens” because the polymeric sheet does not have sufficient capability for being substantially and completely locally compliant with the contact pads.
- From the above description, it should be appreciated that there is a need for improvements in the testing of electrical circuits that are manufactured on substrates and in particular a need for a new approach to temporarily electrically common or short such circuits. A novel and unobvious solution is needed to provide an electrical-commoning mechanism that overcomes the aforementioned problems inherent in the prior art.
- Therefore, an important objective for manufacturers of substrates is their constant desire to find and detect circuits which are flawed and which contain undesired electrical conditions, to thereby reduce manufacturing waste, reduce customer complaints, and the like.
- The present invention provides a method and apparatus for electrically commoning the electronic circuits supported by a substrate, and to effectively and cost efficiently in a timely manner to determine the existence of undesired electrical conditions associated with the electronic circuits to thereby reduce costs associated with manufacturing waste and customer complaints. Flaws in manufacturing processes which may have caused an occurrence of undesired electrical conditions in the electrical circuits thereby creating flawed electrical circuits not being able to function as expected or desired can be effectively detected at an appropriate early stage of the assembling process.
- The present invention provides a method and apparatus for testing the continuity of electronic circuits and to accommodate requirements to make even smaller electronic devices in attempts to physically decrease the size of substrates thereby increasing the density of the electronic circuits and subsequently placing the pads much closer together compared to electronic circuits used in less dense circuits.
- According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for use with a substrate supporting a plurality of contact pads for electrically commoning the contact pads. The apparatus comprises a container for confining a quantity of electrically conductive particles and having said substrate positioned within said container having a first group of a plurality of contact pads on a first surface thereof in contact with said particles. At least some of said electrically conductive particles contact other of said particles and said contact pads of said first group of contact pads on said surface of said substrate and means to maintain said particles in contact with the surface of said substrate and said contact pads whereby said contact pads are electrically commoned.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for electrically commoning contact pads located on a first surface of a substrate wherein each pad is connected to a circuit supported by said substrate. The method comprises the steps of providing a container for confining electrically conductive particles and providing a supply of electrically conductive particles in said container. A substrate having a first group of a plurality of contact pads on one surface thereof is placed and held in said container such that the pads contact said particles and the particles are maintained in contact with other of said particles and said pads whereby said pads are electrically commoned.
- The above and other objectives of the subject invention will be better understood with reference to the drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 shows a cross section drawing of a testing apparatus embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 shows the drawing ofFIG. 1 incorporating a substrate having recessed pads. -
FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional drawing of another embodiment of the testing apparatus accommodating a substrate positioned on flexible walls of a container. - The term “electrically commoning” of contact pads or electronic circuits as used in this disclosure has the same meaning as electrically shorting of pads or circuits, as is well known in the art.
- An overview of aspects and advantages of the subject invention to effect the described electrical commoning of circuitry and to carry out electrical testing of circuitry while eliminating known problems of the prior art, will first be described followed by a more detailed description with reference to the drawings.
- The disclosed invention incorporates the use of small electrically conductive particles, preferably but not limited to spheres, placed in a receptacle so as to somewhat limit the horizontal spreading of the particles. A suitable quantity of the particles for the container or receptacle can be determined to ensure that the surface of a substrate containing a group of electrical contacts or pads to be shorted will always come into contact with a minimum concentration of particles. The walls of the receptacle are made from suitable material that may be flexible, resilient or compliant, such as compressible rubber, with dimensions designed to ensure adequate compaction of the particles within the receptacle to allow the group of electrical contacts or pads to meet and be in physical and electrical contact with the contained particles. As such the particles simultaneously contact both themselves and the group of electrical contacts which are connected to the electrical circuits supported by the substrate to be tested.
- The conductive particles are of dimensions which are sufficiently smaller than the dimensions of the contact pads such that numerous particles can individually and simultaneously contact each contact pad, but large enough to avoid the risk of adhering or becoming attached to the contact pads or substrate surface. The exterior of the particles comprise electrically conductive and non-oxidizing material such as but not limited to gold or platinum. One means to effect such a coating on the particles is by the use of a suitable electrolyses plating bath. The exterior surface of each conductive particle is sufficiently rigid to prevent excessive deformation or agglomeration of the particles, thus maintaining the original ability of the particles to be moveable and to contact themselves and the pads. In one embodiment of the invention, the core material of the metal particles is magnetic in nature such that the particles can be moved by the use of an external alternating magnetic field. In another embodiment, where the particles can be moved by ultrasonic means, the core of each particle may be made of magnetic or non-magnetic material.
- As may be appropriate after testing, the substrate surface may be subjected to a cleaning operation by blowing inert gas across the surface of the substrate to remove any residually adhering conductive particles.
- Having the size of the particles somewhat smaller than the dimension of the contact pads ensures that the loosely compacted particles, when retained in the receptacle of the apparatus, acts in a quasi-fluid nature. The overall surface formed by the particles within the container/receptacle, is thus compliant and readily changes shape to accommodate the shapes and positions of the contact pads supported by a substrate. In this way the bed of particles effectively acts to electrically common or short the contact pads. Numerous advantages follow from this arrangement.
- If a portion of a surface of a contact pad is covered by a non-conductive material as by contamination or by design, the remaining conductive portion of the contact pad will still be contacted by some of the particles to ensure meaningful test results. In addition, with the use of particles of such small size the physical requirements and constraints resulting from greater density of contact pads on a surface of a substrate and decreasing contact pad pitch/size will be accommodated for the testing of the connected circuitry.
- This adaptability of the particle bed allows for effective contacting of contact pads which may be located somewhat lower than the overall substrate surface. This is the case, for example, with printed circuit boards which may contain a non-conductive solder mask of approximately 20-30 microns thickness on their surfaces with openings, typically approximately 150 microns in diameter, in the solder mask to reveal the contact pads below the surface thereof. The contact pads are therefore effectively 20-30 microns below the surface. The particles, being significantly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the openings in the mask and being in the form of a compliant bed of particles, will effectively enter the openings and make electrical contact with the pads.
- The quasi-fluid nature of the particle bed in the container is not adversely affected by or susceptible to physical damage from any irregular shapes or protrusions from a hard ceramic substrate with contact pads. The particle bed can be re-used almost indefinitely to perform the testing operation.
- The rigid nature of the core component of the electrically conductive particles prevents deformation and/or agglomeration of the particles within the container and maintains the ability of the particles to contact each other and the pads. The compliant nature of the particle bed is maintained and the nature of the particles reduces potential contamination of the contact pads by the particles. The non-oxidizing nature of the exterior surface of these particles ensures consistent contact between adjacent particles and between the particles and contact pads. The combination of the use of these described particles in a container or receptacle having compliant walls efficiently provides for the contacting of the pads with the particles using relatively small forces to achieve the commoning of the pads on a substrate.
- Where the core component of the particles is magnetic in nature a varying magnetic field may be used to maintain the particles in constant motion during electrical contact with the pads and the subsequent performance of the electrical test. This results in effective electrical contact of particles with the pads through constant homogenization of the “particle fluid bed” while minimizing the extent to which the particles adhere to themselves and to the contact pads or to the substrate itself. Ultrasonic means to place the particles in appropriately constant motion may achieve similar advantages and allowing for the particles to be made from a variety of materials.
- With reference to
FIG. 1 of the drawings, details of atesting apparatus embodiment 1 of the present invention will now be described. This embodiment comprises container orreceptacle 10 for confiningconductive particles 9 and causingparticles 9 to physically touch other particles thereby electrically shorting physically touchingparticles 9.Container 10 and other aspects of this embodiment maintains some shortedparticles 9 in physical contact withpads 6 of a first group ofpads 6 located on afirst surface 7 ofsubstrate 3 when a contacting force generally shown byarrow 11 is applied onsubstrate 3 andforceing pads 6 to physically touch some of the shortedparticles 9. Contactingforce 11 may be created and applied by any appropriate means as would be known to those having ordinary skill. Since a sufficient quantity ofparticles 9 exist incontainer 10,pads 6 of the first group of pads on thefirst surface 7 ofsubstrate 3 are thereby substantially electrically commoned or shorted together. -
Substrate 3 further comprisescircuits 4, such as conductive vias withinsubstrate 3, which are connected topads 6 of the first group ofpads 6. Sinceelectronic circuits 4 are connect topads 6,circuits 4 are also electrically shorted or commoned byparticles 9. -
Substrate 3 further comprises a second group ofpads 8 located on another surface of the substrate other thansurface 7 ofsubstrate 3 as shown.Pads 8 are electrically connected to the aforementionedelectronic circuits 4 as shown.Substrate 3 physically separates the second group ofpads 8 from the pads of the first group ofpads 6 and further prevents the second group ofpads 8 from physically touchingparticles 9. - Embodiment of
FIG. 1 further comprisestest device 2 and includes one ormore test probes 5 shown electrically connected thereto and contacted to pads of the second group ofpads 8. Typically atest probe 5 is connected to eachpad 8.Test device 2 is also electrically connected to conductive contactingparticles 9 contained withincontainer 10.Test device 2 is thus capable of detecting the electrical conditions of theelectronic circuits 4 connected to testprobes 5 and in particular any flaw or undesirable electrical condition existing in each circuit. In practice,test probe 5 would be moved from onecontact pad 8 to anothercontact pad 8 and electrical contact would be made in turn to each of thecontact pads 8 in the second group of contact pads to thereby in turn assess the electrical condition of each of thecircuits 4 connected topads 8 and thereby detect any undesirable electrical opens existing incircuits 4. - As previously described,
particles 9 are electrically conductive thereby achieving the desired shorting or commoning relationship when they are in contact with each other and withpads 6 when located withincontainer 10. In a preferred embodiment,particles 9 are essentially spherical in shape and have an exterior surface thereon of a non-oxidizing material to prevent formation of electrically insulating oxide on the surface of the particles, thereby ensuring thatparticles 9 are electrically contacted to each other and topads 6 when assembled withincontainer 10.Particles 9 may consist of a core and have an exterior surface coating formed, for example, by the use of an electroless plating bath. The inert coating onparticles 9 preventparticles 9 from imparting any contamination to the pads of the first group ofpads 6 andsurface 7 ofsubstrate 3. - Various materials could be used for
particles 9. The core material could be any electrically conductive material, for example, ferro magnetic materials such as iron, nickel or cobalt. The core ofparticles 9 could also consist of suitable non-conductive material including plastic, with an exterior coating of electrically conductive material including gold or platinum.Particles 9 could also be made of all one material such as gold. - As examples of sizes of elements which have been used in association with the present invention, a substrate of 1.5 inches square having a chip size of 0.5 inches square, include contact pads of 0.005 inches in diameter and a pitch or spacing between pads of 150-250 microns. Particles in the range of 25-30 microns have been found to be practical.
-
Particles 9 are sufficiently rigid to prevent excessive agglomeration of the particles thereby allowingparticle 9 to be freely moved withincontainer 10 and to contactpads 6. The characteristics ofparticles 9 prevent them from becoming substantially gathered into a heap or localized when a contactingforce 11 is applied tosubstrate 3 and thusparticles 9. However on theother hand particles 9 form a quasi-fluid bed and this bed of particles is suitably compliant, flexible or resilient to ensure an extended usable life of the bed of particles by preventingindividual particles 9 from being subjected to physical damage.Particles 9 in the bed of particles as described are capable of being reversibly deformed, wherein a deformation of the particle bed allows the bed of particles to resume its original shape thereby preventing the bed of particles from becoming permanently misshapen after the contacting force is removed. The contacting force may temporarily deform the bed of particles, and after the contacting force is removed, the bed of particles resumes its original shape. - The size of
particles 9 is selected to ensure accommodation of sufficient particles for the surface area of eachpad 6. Preferably the particles are sufficiently large so as not to become wedged in the space betweenpads 6 during the testing procedure and small enough so that more than one particle contacts the surface of apad 6. In addition the size and number ofparticles 9 in a particular application are sufficient to make electrical contact withpads 9 even when a portion of pad surface may be covered by a non-conductive material. A predetermined number of particles can be determined to suitably cover the surface area ofpads 6. - In general it has been found useful results are achieved when the diameter of a spherically shaped
particles 9 is about ⅓ the diameter of the surface ofpad 6. The quantity ofparticles 9 to exist incontainer 10 for useful results varies on a number of factors including size ofsurface 7 ofsubstrate 3 and configuration ofpads 6. It has been found in general that the thickness of the bed ofparticles 9 should be at least as thick as the height ofpads 6 abovesurface 7. -
Container 10 has side walls to contain and limit the horizontal spreading ofparticles 9 and to maintain particles in a predetermined volume of space. The walls ofcontainer 10 are preferably resilient, flexible and compliant to enhance the desire of having someparticles 9 which are contacting each other when anappropriate force 11 is applied totouch pads 6 ofsubstrate 3. The walls ofcontainer 10 are preferably made of suitable flexible material and are of dimensions so as to ensure an adequate compression ofparticles 9 whensubstrate 3 andpads 6 thereon is placed incontainer 10 such thatpads 6 contact some ofparticles 9. - Contacting
force 11 is applied tosubstrate 3 to causesusbtrate 3 withpads 6 onsurface 7 thereof to physically contact theparticles 9. The contactingforce 11 is sufficiently strong to maintainpads 6 in stable contact with at least some ofparticles 9 wherebyparticles 9 make conforming contact withpads 6 during application offorce 11.Force 11 is maintained onsubstrate 3 to causepads 6 to contactparticles 9 for a sufficient time in order to have the test performed. The combination of appliedforce 11 and the force resulting from the flexibility of the walls ofreceptacle 10 is such as to ensure damage is not imparted tosubstrate 3 orcontacts 6 by the bed ofparticles 9. -
Substrate 3 may be connected to other electronic components while thecircuitry 4 supported bysubstrate 3 is being tested. As had been described, the first and second groups of pads onsubstrate 3 as shown byreferences - Tester or
test device 2 is used to detect undesired electrical conditions such as electrical opens existing in theelectronic circuits 4. Test probes 5 are caused to sequentially make electrical contact withpads 8 ofsubstrate 6 during the testing ofelectronic circuits 4.Test device 2 could comprise any one or more of an ohm meter, a volt-meter, and an ammeter. - Another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention shown in
FIG. 1 is a motion-inducing mechanism or means (not illustrated inFIG. 1 ) for causingparticles 6 to move toward and touch or make contact with any available surface ofpads 6 ofsubstrate 3 thereby ensuringparticles 6 to be in touch with the surface ofpads 6. Such mechanism is not shown inFIG. 1 . The suitable motion-inducing means could be one of the following mechanisms or a combination of any two or more of the mechanisms namely, a shaking-motion mechanism, a magnetic-field mechanism, or an ultrasonic mechanism. Such mechanisms for inducing motion to the particles are considered to be well known to those of ordinary skill. Of course for the magnetic-field mechanism to be effective,particles 9 of magnetic material would have to be employed. A shaking-motion mechanism induces a shaking and vibrating motion toparticles 9 thereby causingparticles 9 to move toward and make more effective electrical contact amongst themselves and withpads 6 ofsubstrate 3. This results from the physical shaking and vibrating ofparticles 9 withincontainer 10. By inducing a shaking motion toparticles 9, the particles are caused to move in a back and forth motion with rapid jerky motions thereby causing theparticles 9 to change their spatial positions to enhance greater contact withpads 6 and reduce the amount of test time required to effectively testcircuitry 4 onsubstrate 3. An ultrasonic mechanism may be coupled tocontainer 10 for causingparticles 9 in a similar manner to shake and vibrate resulting in more effective electrical contact betweenparticles 9 andpads 6 onsubstrate 3. The sound frequencies used may be beyond the range that can be heard by a human ear. A magnetic-field mechanism may be coupled tocontainer 10 in whichmagnetic particles 9 exist. The magnetic-field mechanism imparts changing lines of magnetism toparticles 9 which magnetically interact withparticles 9 wherebyparticles 9 become churned so that freelyavailable particles 9 make contact with any remaining available spaces on the surfaces ofpads 6. This enhances the contact ofparticles 9 withpads 6 and thereby reducing the time to carry out the electrical tests oncircuitry 4 ofsubstrate 3. The magnetic-field mechanism may further entail a degaussing mechanism to remove residual magnetism from the particles thereby preventing the particles from adhering topads 6 and tosubstrate 3. As had been previously mentioned, the mechanisms to provide for the shaking-motion, ultrasonic and magnetic field activity may be used individually or in any combination in order to enhance the contact ofparticles 9 withpads 6 on the surface ofsubstrate 9. -
FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates use of the apparatus embodiment ofFIG. 1 with asubstrate 3 in whichpads 6 are effectively recessed below the surface ofsubstrate 3. Inpractical situations portions 12 of the surface ofsubstrate 3 upon whichcontact pads 6 are located, may be covered by a non-conductive solder mask.Mask 12 has openings for providing access topads 6 which are thus effectively recessed below the surface of thesubstrate 3.Particles 9 have a smaller size compared to the size of the opening inmask 12 and thusparticles 9 are capable of entering the openings inmask 12 in order to make electrical contact withpads 6.Circuits 4 ofsubstrate 3 are tested in a similar manner with the test apparatus and probes as shown and described with reference toFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative arrangement of thetesting apparatus 1 ofFIGS. 1 and 2 . As shown inFIG. 3 container 10 for retainingparticles 9, is designed so thatsubstrate 3 is positioned on the walls ofcontainer 10. In thisembodiment container 10 is made of appropriately resilient or compliant material so that the walls ofcontainer 10 change shape somewhat whensubstrate 3 is forced downward by appliedforce 11 forpads 6 to contactparticles 9. It has been found that the resulting force of the resilient walls ofcontainer 10 enhancesparticles 9 contactingpads 6 along with the appliedforce 11. This arrangement assists in obtaining test results from the use oftest device 2 and the associated probes. Also shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 3 is an arrangement where each ofpads 8 have atest probe 5 connected thereto during the testing process ofcircuits 4. - It is understood from the above description of the embodiments of the present invention with respect to
FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, are provided for purposes of illustrating aspects of the subject invention. These drawings should not be considered as being to scale nor are intended in any manner to limit the nature, number, configurations or sizes of the various components or elements shown. - The invention has been described so far in terms of apparatus as generally illustrated in the drawings. The inventive aspects of the subject invention extends to methods of electrically shorting contacts pads such as
pads 6 located on a surface ofsubstrate 3. As can be appreciated with general reference to the drawings, a suitable container orreceptacle 10 is provided for confining electricallyconductive particles 9. A suitable supply ofparticles 9 is added tocontainer 10.Substrate 3 havingpads 6 on a surface thereof is placed intocontainer 10, or alternatively oncontainer 10, such thatpads 6 make contact withparticles 9.Substrate 3 is held withincontainer 10 and a force may be applied thereto in order to ensure that the particles adequately contact each other and the pads wherebypads 6 become electrically shorted.Substrate 3 has a second group ofpads 8 on a surface ofsubstrate 3 different from the surface wherepads 6 are located.Pads circuitry 4 existing within or supported bysubstrate 3. In order to electricallytest circuitry 4 for opens,pads 8 are electrically contacted with atest device 2 whilesubstrate 3 is located withincontainer 10 andpads 6 are shorted byparticles 9 andtest device 2 is electrically connected toparticles 9.Pads 8 are contacted by the test device in order to test eachcircuit 4. It is preferable to remove any contamination onpads substrate 3 withincontainer 10 and contacting bytest device 2. In order to ensure effective electrical contact ofpads 6 andparticles 9 and also to speed up and ensure that proper test results of thevarious circuits 4 are obtained, shaking or vibration motion may be induced intoparticles 9 as a result of the use of shaking motion, ultrasonic or magnetic mechanism attached tocontainer 10. - It will be understood from the foregoing description that various modifications and changes may be made to the preferred embodiments of the present invention without departing from its true intent and spirit. It is intended that this description is for purposes of illustration only and should not be construed in a limiting sense. It should be appreciated that particular arrangements shown or described are provided for convenience in presenting the invention and those having ordinary skill in the art would understand that the scope of the invention is not limited to the arrangements of the elements as shown. The scope of this invention should be limited only by the language of the claims which follow.
Claims (20)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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CA002441447A CA2441447A1 (en) | 2003-09-18 | 2003-09-18 | Method and apparatus for electrical commoning of circuits |
CA2441447 | 2003-09-18 |
Publications (2)
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US20050062493A1 true US20050062493A1 (en) | 2005-03-24 |
US7038462B2 US7038462B2 (en) | 2006-05-02 |
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US10/710,145 Active US7038462B2 (en) | 2003-09-18 | 2004-06-22 | Method and apparatus for electrical commoning of circuits |
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US5850144A (en) * | 1997-09-03 | 1998-12-15 | Serrot Corporation | Method for detecting leaks in a membrane |
US5910878A (en) * | 1997-06-26 | 1999-06-08 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method and apparatus for protecting electrical devices from static electricity |
US6043670A (en) * | 1997-12-16 | 2000-03-28 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Method for testing integrated circuits |
US6049215A (en) * | 1992-11-20 | 2000-04-11 | Kulicke & Soffa Ind. Inc. | Bare die carrier |
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US20050046435A1 (en) * | 2003-08-26 | 2005-03-03 | Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Method and apparatus for evaluating and adjusting microwave integrated circuit |
-
2003
- 2003-09-18 CA CA002441447A patent/CA2441447A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2004
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US4287406A (en) * | 1977-09-08 | 1981-09-01 | National Research Development Corporation | Electric contact device with fluidized metal particle bed |
US4712674A (en) * | 1985-03-25 | 1987-12-15 | Hy-Con Products, Inc. | Container for static-sensitive articles |
US5008617A (en) * | 1989-06-20 | 1991-04-16 | Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. | Functional testing of ultra large area, ultra large scale integrated circuits |
US5206585A (en) * | 1991-12-02 | 1993-04-27 | At&T Bell Laboratories | Methods for testing integrated circuit devices |
US6049215A (en) * | 1992-11-20 | 2000-04-11 | Kulicke & Soffa Ind. Inc. | Bare die carrier |
US5798655A (en) * | 1993-12-17 | 1998-08-25 | Nhk Spring Co., Ltd. | Contact probe unit including needle members urged by a resilient material block |
US5910878A (en) * | 1997-06-26 | 1999-06-08 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method and apparatus for protecting electrical devices from static electricity |
US5850144A (en) * | 1997-09-03 | 1998-12-15 | Serrot Corporation | Method for detecting leaks in a membrane |
US6043670A (en) * | 1997-12-16 | 2000-03-28 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Method for testing integrated circuits |
US20020027444A1 (en) * | 1999-03-31 | 2002-03-07 | Advantest Corp. | Packaging and interconnection of contact structure |
US20020060583A1 (en) * | 2000-09-25 | 2002-05-23 | Jsr Corporation | Anisotropically conductive sheet, production process thereof and applied product thereof |
US20050046435A1 (en) * | 2003-08-26 | 2005-03-03 | Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Method and apparatus for evaluating and adjusting microwave integrated circuit |
Also Published As
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CA2441447A1 (en) | 2005-03-18 |
US7038462B2 (en) | 2006-05-02 |
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